Case Report: The Murder Of Jonbenet Ramsey

The murder of JonBenet Ramsey was discovered following the discovery of a ransom letter found by her mother Patsy Ramsey on December 26, 1996 (Saferstein, 2015). There were numerous mistakes made by the Boulder Colorado Police Department. The house was not secured, moreover, not preserved as a crime scene. The ransom letter alone should have prompted the law enforcement officers on scene to secure the house to preserve any evidence. The letter was found at the foot of the stairs within the residence indicating an intruder had in fact entered the Ramsey residence. The preservation of the scene is of the utmost importance to ensure any and all physical evidence can be collected without the risk of contamination. The family invited several individuals into their home following the arrival of the law enforcement officials (Saferstein, 2015). There were no efforts made to limit the entry of outside factors into the house. JonBenet Ramsey’s father, John Ramsey, was allowed to leave the residence for a period of time, then allowed to continue to search the residence upon his return without supervision of a law enforcement official. John Ramsey found JonBenet Ramsey’s body in the basement, picked her up, then carried her up to the living room where he placed her on the floor. Several evidentiary issues can be easily noted with this situation. The

Additionally, fibers from both parents clothing were found on the body and clothing of JonBenet Ramsey. It was thought the Patsy Ramsey had written the ransom letter in an attempt to cover up the offense committed by John Ramsey. The evidence collected certainly provided speculation that JonBenet Ramsey’s parents were the perpetrators of the crime. The evidence could have given officials enough to obtain an indictment, consequently, there was doubt it was enough to ensure a